rob bradford

It's time for Red Sox to start turning over this roster

What Jake Peavy, A.J. Pierzynski and a few others did Tuesday night was offer the punctuation for these Red Sox. Enough is enough. This isn't working. This isn't going to work this way.

Yes, typically one might suggest making judgments after an 8-2 loss to the Mariners is ripe for reactionary proclamations. But even the most patient of baseball lifers can look at the Red Sox' first 78 games and come to the conclusion that Plan A should be thrown out the window. Change hardly guarantees a change of fortune, but the ultimate defeat for this team will come with an acceptance heading into the season's second half.

Red Sox manager John Farrell nailed it prior to Tuesday's contest, saying, "This is still a bottom-line game." Peavy is a gamer. He's a great clubhouse guy, with a fantastic pedigree. Pierzynski offers the potential of some much-needed offense, while having had lived the life of a winning baseball player.

None of it matters right now. It's time to take a step in another direction.

The organization is well aware of its situation. This is why the team is dug in on Rubby De La Rosa living the life of a major league starter for most likely the remainder of the season. This isn't about potential, this is about production, and De La Rosa has produced in the form of allowing one run in 14 innings over his last two starts.

The same can be said for Brandon Workman, who will start Friday in New York. He has started eight times as a major leaguer and totaled a 2.91 ERA, never allowing more than three runs. That deserves additional looks.

These two are the examples of what the Red Sox should be embracing, just like they gave Brock Holt a great big hug and haven't let go. It's time to find out what works, not grasp at what might possibly pan out.

Immediately after Tuesday night's loss, the Red Sox had no plans for Peavy. They were more worried about finding out a solution to getting Clay Buchholz on the roster for his Wednesday's start. But after watching Peavy fail to garner a win for an 11th straight time -- totaling a 6.38 ERA over his last nine starts -- the Sox know something has to be done.

They've had to make these decisions before. Remember John Smoltz? Yes, he was just about 10 years older than Peavy is now when he was released by the Red Sox in 2009, but, according to those who were there, the former Brave actually had better stuff than what Peavy currently is putting on display. The righty is living in the high 80s, with a hope that the velocity can still play out over the plate. Not a good combination.

And when Smoltz made his final start for the Red Sox in '09, that was a good ball club, sitting 17 games over .500. (The same cannot be said for this group right now.) He would go on to pitch decently for seven starts in the National League for St. Louis, notching a 4.26 ERA. The same can happen for Peavy.

Designating Peavy for assignment seems like an extreme move considering what he produced in the season's first month. But the greater good has to be taken into account, and right now that is defined by the presence of Workman and De La Rosa in the starting rotation. Farrell made mention of a groin issue Peavy was dealing with, although the pitcher downplayed it. That could be an answer to keep the pitcher around as a fail-safe while riding the hot hands of the two youngsters. It's also not out of the realm of possibility a National League club shows interest in the veteran presence of the pitcher.

Whatever the solution, it's impossible to make the case for allowing the bottom line of Workman and/or De La Rosa to be put on hold in favor of a pitcher struggling to the level of Peavy.

Then there is Pierzynski.

The catcher once again got a bit snippy when answering for his performance Tuesday night. No matter. And when he insists that "Somebody is going to pay" for his current slump (1-for-18 on the road trip), maybe he's right. But when you have a catcher so defensively challenged, along with the maddening approach that has allowed him to almost impossibly see just 44 pitches in 20 plate appearances on this swing, it isn't healthy for a team in the state the Red Sox find themselves.

Unlike Peavy, there is no logical replacement for Pierzynski, who is counted on to be one of the rare offensive threats in this lineup. But what the next guy up -- Christian Vazquez -- could do is offer energy, while excelling at one part of the game (defense) to a level few on the roster can approach. That would be healthy for this club.

There are others on the radar when exploring alternatives. The Red Sox have taken their guidance of Jackie Bradley to a new level of late, hoping the outfielder might turn the corner. He took a step in the right direction Tuesday, coming away with two hits, including one on which he pulled a high fastball. ( For what it's worth, Mookie Betts is not expected to be called up for the New York series.)

Other than that? Edward Mujica has a two-year contract. Stephen Drew is riding out a most unique scenario that screams for the kind of patience few want the Red Sox to exhibit. And players like Dustin Pedroia and Xander Bogaerts are dug in as foundation pieces.

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